I see that the MP for Christchurch has promptly had his name applied to the offence of "upskirting", after blocking a bill to make this illegal. The practice is now known as "choping". One wonders if the reverse applies, and he becomes known as the "Honourable Member for Upskirting". Or would that be too close to the boner?

I have to say that I have some sympathy with his stated reason (and I assume it's the real reason) for blocking that bill.

It is too easy to make bad law and invoke the law of unintended consequences if it's not done 'properly'.

I don't know what the wording of this so-called 'upskirting' law is (it's actually an addendum of some sort to a wider-reaching 'voyeurism' law) but I can imagine how it might go if it got drawn up badly.

Might one for instance get into trouble for snapping some celeb getting out of a car who shows a bit more than she should? Maybe you're not even aiming at the celeb but catch it anyway. How about if I take a photo of my pub meal in a beer garden and some poor girl's making a mess of climbing on to one of those picnic table benches?

Don't laugh - it can happen.

A chap was taking a photo of his girlfriend on Sotogrande beach a few years ago and the father of some kids playing nearby took exception - thought he was a perv taking photos of them.

You are certainly right about the law of unintended consequences. As far as I am aware, though, Chope objected to it simply on the principle that not enough time had been devoted to discussing it - something he apparently makes a habit of doing whenever any private members bill comes forward. It was not that he thought there was anything wrong with it.

Not only are there many hundreds that he remained silent on, but he has proposed and supported PMBs, usually calling for the UK to leave the EU. He tabled 47 PMBs in 2017 including one trying to privatise the BBC.

On the occasions when he does block them by objecting there seems to be something of a theme involving progressive issues regarding women or sexuality. He has blocked Bills on subjects such as same-sex marriage, equal pay, the Alan Turing (Statutory Pardon) Bill and also Bills that would have given more rights to tenants (he is a landlord).

In the specific case of the Choping Bill he didn't just shout "object". Far more effort went into killing it than that. First Chope and Philip Davies (a fellow Tory MP) spoke for three hours on the previous Bill, Croydon North MP Steve Reed's "Seni's Law Bill". This pushed the Choping Bill beyond 2.30pm allowing him to kill it by shouting "object". Had they not filibustered then there would have been plenty of time to have a proper debate on the Choping Bill. He had no interest in doing so.

The claim that his motives were pure is false. He is a homophobic misogynistic turd.